Community-based risk assessment of vulnerability of smallholder yam production to climate change and implications for adaptation planning

Abstract

Climate change places substantial pressure on the livelihoods of people living in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana. The cultivation of yam is a primary livelihood activity among smallholder farmers in north-western Ghana. However, yam production in north-western Ghana has not received adequate attention in vulnerability analysis and climate change literature, which creates a lacuna in vulnerability assessment and limiting the understanding of smallholder farmers’ perspectives on how climate change affects yam production. Therefore, this study analysed the vulnerability of yam production to climate change, particularly the variability in rainfall and temperature in north-western Ghana. This study draws on a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions for data collection and analysis in three purposively selected communities in the Sissala East Municipality. Participants and study communities were purposively selected and interview and focus group discussion guides were used to guide the conduct of interviews and focus group discussions. The results showed that yam production is exposed to significant risks of extreme rainfall variability. The overall effects of climate variability on yam production include poor and delayed germination, poor growth and tuber development, premature shedding of leaves, pest infestation of leaves and tubers, and high postharvest losses. The paper concludes that yam production is highly vulnerable to extreme changes in rainfall and temperatures and thus recommends that the Centre for Industrial and Scientific Research and Crop Research Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture should develop improved yam varieties that are friendly to droughts and high temperatures.